Haj pilgrims gets easy, cheap calls

Haj pilgrims gets easy, cheap calls

JAKARTA (JP): If you miss home, call. It's easy and cheap.

That's the message from PT Indosat, the government-owned
international telephone company, to the nearly 160,000
Indonesians who will begin leaving for the haj pilgrimage in
Saudi Arabia next week.

Indosat is introducing an "Indonesia Direct" service through
which Indonesian pilgrims can dial 1-800-62 from any phone in
Saudi Arabia, including pay phones, and hook up with Indosat
operators.

The system is strictly for collect calls, meaning that the
receiver in Indonesia will be billed for the call, and the rate
is 40 percent cheaper than that charged if a call is placed
through the Saudi phone network, said Venny Zano, Indosat's
public relations manager.

Indonesia is only one of three countries that have established
such cooperation with Saudi Arabia. To Indonesia, Saudi Arabia is
the 26th country that is linked through "Indonesia Direct"
service. (01)